Boulder and others hoping to gain traction
Colorado might not yet be the volleyball hotbed that a West Coast state like California might be, where players dot the landscape everywhere in sight. But, the boys’ side of the sport is growing in the Centennial State, and teams like Boulder are aiming to bring more students into the fold.
The Panthers themselves are a team in its infancy, having only been promoted from a club sport at the end of last year’s season. Needless to say, there’s a lot of spreading the word that needs to be done in order to get students’ attention and build their team roster. That’s where head coach Tobin Skenandore’s years of experience coaching in the Boulder Valley School District comes in.
The Boulder team is composed of students from three BVSD schools: Fairview, Boulder,
and Nederland. Still, there are not many students in the area that have experience in the world of volleyball.
“There’s a lot of athletic kids who love to try it out,” Skenandore said. “So I go out and try to find athletic kids from sports that aren’t in season that will love to give it a go. And if they can jump pretty high that obviously helps.”
A majority of the students that Skenandore has brought to the team come from diverse athletic backgrounds, like those that play lacrosse, basketball, and football.
“We have that type of game experience, but everything we’re doing is just one game at a time for us,” Skenandore said. “We want to stay focused on understanding the game and learning how it’s played.”
Some athletes that Skenandore recruited, however, come
from years of high-level play. One athlete in particular, Corran Hanzlik-green — an outside hitter and the team’s captain — has years of club volleyball experience and knowledge that instantly contribute to Boulder’s chances of success.
“I’m a senior this year and I was kind of thinking ‘What do I want to leave behind at this school?’,” Hanzlik-green said. “Volleyball has done so much for me and I decided that I want to bring a high level of competition to this court. I think growing the sport is so important and it’s just brought so much to me that I can’t leave it behind without giving it something in return.”
Though their team is relatively new and untested, Boulder’s season has been successful so far with an overall record of 3-4. Colorado has 68 boys volleyball teams in the 2024 season, and the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index will be used to determine the 24 teams for eight regional tournaments held around the state. For Boulder, coaching, recruitment and player experience is helping to create an environment where learning and success go hand-in-hand, which is the hope for the team’s current season.
“My biggest thing right now is making sure the boys are having a blast,” Skenandore said. “If they’re having fun, coming into practice and they can’t wait to be there, that’s when you know you’re doing something right. That’s my goal no matter what.”
Catching up with Niwot
The Cougars — the district team for St. Vrain Valley schools — are 2-1 on the season after pulling out a victory against Cherry Creek on March 11. Stat leaders include junior Jenu Ngialah (2.5 kills per set), sophomore Gabe Victor (95.1% serve success; 30 digs); senior Sage Xiong (8.4 assists per set); and sophomore Diego Kheng (0.7 blocks per set). Niwot has matches next week against Greeley Central and Overland, as its season gets going in full force.
Catching up with Centaurus
The Warriors — another BVSD program — sits at 2-4 overall so far. Junior Erik Beuke leads the offense so far with 3.0 kills per set, while other stat leaders include sophomore Salif Diawara (1.8 blocks per set); Xavier Her (38 total digs); Cayden Six (88.3% serve); and Declan Mahoney (39 assists).
Centaurus will pick up the action in April, beginning with back-to-back matches against Riverdale Ridge on April 2 and April 8.